Going to the Villages, Broadcasting the Jesus Film.

by | Jan 18, 2017

We have started a new project among Bara people this year. We are broadcasting the Film Jesus in Bara language in Bara villages. Please pray that the film will impact their lives, and leave in their hearts the desire to know more about Jesus Christ.

Please pray for the villages of: Ambatomañga, Isoanala,and Manañovy, where we have already shown the film.

Please pray that God will open doors for us to project the film in as many villages as possible.

May God change hearts and that the seeds of the Gospel planted there would flourish.

Bible Translation into Rangi

by | Jan 17, 2017

Praise God for a team from SIL who have been tirelessly working on translating the Bible into the Rangi language for many years. Pray for continued unity and perseverance as they aim to finish in the next few years. Pray too that God would use the Rangi Bible to help many come to Christ.

New believers’ struggles

by | Jan 17, 2017

Continue to pray for Mart and Light – the new believers you prayed for last month – as they have hit a rocky patch. On the day they were planning on getting baptised, Mart went off to his home island without telling anyone. The enemy is definitely working to stop the growth that has started. Pray that he would come back quickly, that God would help them to work out their marriage issues, and that they would continue to grow in their young faith.

Ruth and Hannah

by | Jan 16, 2017

Thank you for praying for “Ruth,” the Arab woman who was bowing at the church and taking pictures before the cross. God did continue to stir her heart and she brought her closest friend, “Hannah,” a Berber, to our home. “Hannah” led the conversation. “Islam doesn’t make sense. In school we are taught Islamic law, and are mocked if we ask questions. We are told that ISIS isn’t real Islam, but it teaches the same things we learn in university. It is Islam and I cannot follow that way. For a while my family forced me to go through the actions of Islamic prayer, but if it doesn’t touch your heart, it is meaningless. Every night I pray, ‘Lord, please show me the truth.’ “. They both eagerly accepted the written Word and want to read and study together! Exams are just finishing. Pray for a consistent time to meet!

A new Team

by | Jan 16, 2017

Ask the Lord for his guidance as the idea of sending another team of workers to live and minister among the Rangi is considered. Ask that he would open doors and give wisdom for every detail, from the selection of a village to the assigning of team leaders and team members.

New On the Farm

by | Jan 14, 2017

We have 3 fairly new Muslim Background Believers who have joined our farm crew. These young men are hungry to work hard and they are hungry for discipleship. Pray for their spiritual growth and protection and that the Lord would use them to draw many more of their lost neighbors to salvation.

Upbeat Funeral

by | Jan 14, 2017

Recently we bounced up to the village of Narianta behind a pickup hearse to bury the body of Pastor Reuben Sankok, who had died of spinal meningitis. Over 300 people attended the service. Despite the scratchy sound system, the community belted out Christian songs, children gave tribute to their father (Reuben left 11 children), I preached about our hope in the resurrection and a team of Dorobo pastors surrounded the casket and prayed as we laid Reuben’s body in the ground. There was grief and mourning, but there was an optimistic hope, brought on by their growing faith in Christ. Continue to pray for the family, for the children in school and for God to raise up other men to be leaders in the churches in the area.

New Year’s Eve Party

by | Jan 13, 2017

Praise God that the missionaries’ time with the South Asian family on New Year’s Eve was a time of fun and some significant introductions for the men of four families to meet one another. Pray that now the Spirit of God will prompt some of the Indian men to take initiative to connect with the missionary men again. Pray for the salvation of the entire family: men, women, and children in 2017.

A Huge Step Forward for a Local Church

by | Jan 13, 2017

We have a praise item for God’s working among the Rendille. This past December the church in Korr found it needed a new senior pastor. The men in the church met and made some faith based decisions that show great growth and maturity. They chose a pastor from among the elders who is a man who truly loves God. But they also decided that the local church needs to fully support this pastor financially. This has never happened in the church’s history and the first Sunday in January the leadership challenged the congregation to assume full responsibility for their pastor – they need to feed his family, care for his physical needs and pray for him. It was a very good service and a strong step of faith. Many in the congregation stood in unity and with the promise to take care of their pastor. Please pray that this will become a reality this year. Pray for Pastor Erot as he knows he needs God’s power and strength to lead well.

Ladies Heard of God’s Love at Christmas

by | Jan 12, 2017

Pray for the Alagwa ladies who glady heard the story of God’s love at a neighbourhood Christmas celebration. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will touch their hearts and draw them to Himself. Please pray that their eyes would be opened, and they would understand that they actually need to give their lives over to God and follow him.

Praise report

by | Jan 12, 2017

Rev. Raymond Bukenya a Muganda, missionary serving in Moroto gives this report from Christmas day:

For the first time, we baptised 25 inmates who had been through the Baptism Preparation Class. I shared on the true essence of Christmas. The day God gave us the opportunity, through His Son, to see His Face, and His Grace that we all needed so desperately because of our entanglement in sin!

At the end of my Sermon, in which I challenged my friends to receive the Son, the Child who is given for our Redemption, 3 other inmates surrendered their Lives to the Saviour of all Mankind! Led them in prayer, and they joined in to receive baptism! Total baptized Christmas day was 28 inmates! They all received Bibles.

 

 

 

Husband and Wife Serve Together

by | Jan 11, 2017

Pray for opportunities for a Rangi evangelist, P, to share Jesus through his interactions with the nursery children and their parents. Pray too for P’s family as he has become a husband and a father in the last year. Ask God to continue to grow a heart and passion to reach the Rangi in P’s wife, Deb.

Youth Bible Conference

by | Jan 11, 2017

Please pray for the youth in Karamoja as they meet together in Lotome for a 3 day conference. May accurate and anointed Bible teaching be there and that the Holy Spirit as teacher would move through these young adults and teenagers.

Family settling into life in the US

by | Jan 10, 2017

The precious Arab/Berber family who moved to the States is doing well, learning language and settling into life while they live with a believing family. They have watched children act out the nativity, played games with the widows of the church, painted houses, built fires and simply lived daily life with disciples of Jesus. We are so thankful that as they joined the family for church, a MBB from Yemen sat next to them and translated into Arabic. Continue to ask for their salvation!

How to Continue in the Future?

by | Jan 10, 2017

A Christian worker showed the Jesus movie on New Year’s Sunday, after showing it on Christmas Day. Twenty kids watched it the first time, and then she played it again for the kids that showed up late—in the end there were almost 50 gathered on the porch in front of her computer. Right now, she thinks it is a good conversation starter and another tool, along with the children’s Bible that gives kids exposure to who Jesus is. Maybe she should show it once a month on a Sunday? Please pray for wisdom, and for the salvation of the children and their families.

Severely Tormented, Now Freed

by | Jan 7, 2017

Just before Christmas, a young woman from a different town had a demonic manifestation in the Sunday morning church service. She had been severely tormented by the demon for many years and was ready and willing to both give up her religion of Islam as well as be freed of this particular demon. She prayed the ‘sinners prayer’ and is hungry to grow as a disciple of Jesus. Her name is Eva, and she has Christian relatives. Would you please pray for this girl to be discipled and taught from the Word.

Ceasefire…

by | Jan 7, 2017

A ceasefire has once again been announced for 2 months and the military convoys have been stopped. Pray that it will remain peaceful all over the country and all adhere to the ceasefire.

A Bold Digo Christian family

by | Jan 6, 2017

In a village where little truth is actually known about Jesus, the Jesus film in the tribal language was shown at the prompting of a bold Digo Christian man and his family. Almost 100 curious people showed up to hear Jesus speak their language! May His words penetrate the Digo hearts in the village of M and accomplish what He purposes. His words will not return to Him empty.

Christian Neighbors: the only Jesus some people will ever see

by | Jan 6, 2017

Approximately one-third of Nyamwezi say they are Christian. They are the neighbors who may be the only Jesus some people ever see. Please pray that they would reach out in conversations with their non-Christian neighbors and share their stories of salvation and how God is personal in their lives. Ask that God’s love would be unleashed. Pray for those who are drawn to relate with their Christian neighbors, that they would likewise be drawn to God and come to know God in their own lives. “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8

Visits, Football, and Peace

by | Jan 5, 2017

Praise God for several good visits to the Mbororo recently. A football (soccer) club has started on Saturday afternoons in the village where relationships are growing. Pray for fruit: for opportunities to share God’s Truth, for hearts to be opened, and for salvation to come. Meanwhile in a village in Eastern CAR, a Mbororo man was apparently murdered. Retaliation took place, and there have been high tensions between the Zande and Mbororo in that area. Pray for peace. The Enemy would love to capitalize on this conflict. Pray that the church (mostly Zande) would be strong in showing love during this time.

She Turned to God First

by | Jan 5, 2017

Praise God for a lady who is seeking Jesus in our village. A few weeks ago, she had understood for the first time that the power of witchdoctors does not come from God. (Traditionally, there is the belief that the witchdoctors “do good” and therefore must be empowered by God.) Recently, her eldest daughter who lives far away started to suffer from stomach problems. She came to arrange for an opportunity for her to be prayed for at church, or at one of the pastors’ houses. Praise God that she turned to Him first.
Please continue to pray that all the Alagwa seeking Jesus will understand that only God has the power to heal their bodies and souls.

An Extravagant, Joyful Christmas

by | Jan 4, 2017

This holiday season we were abundantly blessed to be able to host 2 separate celebrations in our town and we saw nearly 100 people come to celebrate with us! One neighbor who offered to direct the work of making sure that a giant meal was cooked for lunch said, “If this is a day of joy for you, it’s a day of joy for us.” We were humbled and blessed to see many of our neighbors and friends take responsibility for parts of the celebration, without ever being asked to do it. Because of their taking the lead in so many ways, the gatherings felt very culturally appropriate and seemed to be well understood by everyone who came. And yet so many who came through the door said, “Happy Christmas!” It was humbling to see their extravagant demonstration of loving us, their neighbors. And it was a joy to see them experience celebrating the birth of Christ in a way that made sense to them. One dear friend said, “We never celebrated this before you came here,” with the biggest smile. Please pray that our people would continue to reflect on the day, to be challenged by the fact that it broke stereotypes about how Christians typically celebrate, and that many would be stirred to seek more information about the One whose birth was celebrated that day.

Ndau

by | Jan 4, 2017

Recently we heard that there was going to be a “ceasefire” for 7 days- an agreement which was made by the heads of the the main political parties. This made us very excited as we have been hearing of more and more fatal attacks happening in our area resulting in the folks not going to their fields (once again). Two days after the announcement a leader of the opposition party was killed. When is this going to end? Please continue to pray for the nation and especially the Ndau in our area that are being affected. Pray against the senseless killing of innocent people and for those who believe to stand strong in the Lord.

Is it impossible for Bara to follow Jesus? No!

by | Jan 3, 2017

If the years of little fruit were a discouragement to the missionaries who worked among Bara people, now is time to rejoice! The seeds planted have started to bear fruit and everyone is part of this harvest. Many Bara have come to faith after this malaso and witch doctor become a follower of “Jesosy, Anaky’Ndrianañahary” (Jesus, Son of God), as we posted here previously.

Please pray for him. His name is Jean Claude, and we ask you to pray for his life, security, strength and guidance. May Jesus, through his Holy Spirit, bless and encourage him to continue being a powerful witness of the Gospel. May the Lord protect him against the spiritual forces that operate powerfully among Bara keeping them in bondage. And may Jean’s life shine as a light among his community. Blessed be the Lamb!

Fear and isolation

by | Jan 3, 2017

Pray for our local brother who so often feels alone. He knows no other local believers in our city. When there are threats or danger, he tends towards isolation which increases fear. Ask for wisdom for him to know when to meet with foreign believers; he is so welcome, and invited, but concerned. Pray that he will know when and who to share with, and that God would gather local believers here to encourage one another.

A Crippled Boy Walks

by | Jan 2, 2017

Over ten years ago I helped a Dorobo mother, whose son Isaiah had crippled legs and could only crawl on all fours. I prayed for Isaiah at the time and told him he would one day play soccer. Eventually Isaiah went to a crippled children’s centre in Kajiado and after a year or two of calipers and treatment, he was able to walk and he’s now in his last year of high school. I’d almost forgotten the incident, but Pastor Musanga invited me to his house just before Christmas to meet Isaiah, who has become a vibrant Christian and spends his free time sharing his faith. He and Pastor Musanga had held a meeting at a nearby village at Christmas and after Isaiah preached, two people accepted Christ as their Savior. We had a cup of tea and Isaiah thanked us for helping him on his journey of physical healing as well as his spiritual journey following Christ. As we left, Isaiah, who is short and walks with a limp, told me God had answered my prayer for him and he did play soccer at his school. We asked him to pray for my knee (injured in a recent rugby game). It was humbling to hear him offer up a powerful prayer for God to heal my knee. Pray that God would use Isaiah in spreading the Gospel among the Dorobo.

New believers

by | Jan 2, 2017

Praise God for a new group of Muslim background believers among the Rangi! Ask the Holy Spirit to guide these believers as they meet together to study the Bible each Sunday. Pray for strength and encouragement for them as they face opposition from their friends and family.

Heavy yokes

by | Dec 31, 2016

Zahara, a woman who had read the gospel online and had asked for an Arabic NT, missed our meeting to receive it because of sickness. As Fatima and I walked at the park a few days later, Zahara called to say that she had just seen us walk by. Only her eyes were showing and I would have walked right on by without her call. As we continued on walking together, she explained that it must have been God’s favor that we meet. Praise Jesus for his arrangements! Then she and Fatima got into a conversation about the troubles in the country and comparing Christians and Muslims. Zahara said, “It is easier to enter Islam if you have not yet met a Muslim.” She turned in apology to her fellow Muslim, but Fatima was nodding. Hypocrisy is always horrible. Pray for these women who are drawn to what they see in followers of Jesus, but who are still trying to hold onto Islam if only it is “done right.” Pray that they will find the yoke of Islam too heavy to bear, and that they will see the open arms of Jesus on the cross, holding out forgiveness and grace.

Peace for the Ik

by | Dec 30, 2016

Although the Ik believe strongly in peace, they live in- between two strong, warring tribes, the Karamajong to the south and the Turkana to the north in Kenya, causing countless problems to the Ik. Over the years, there have been many casualties among the Ik even though they weren’t directly involved in the conflict between the tribes. Lately both of the tribes have been encroaching on the Ik ridge, desiring to bring their cattle through in search of grazing land. Pray that the Ik can take a peaceful stand so that the Karamajong and the Turkana don’t take advantage of them by destroying their land, and instead respect their wishes. Pray also for the safety of all on the ridge as these tribes many times bring violence. Pray the Prince of Peace would be made known.

Growing in Their Understanding

by | Dec 30, 2016

Bibi Chai, Mama Naa, and others are still growing in their understanding of who Jesus is as they visit with Christian neighbours. Please pray that in the new year there will be many opportunities for missionaries to regularly share Bible stories and the gospel message with Swahili people in a small village on the coast of the Indian Ocean.

Sheik update

by | Dec 29, 2016

Pray for the sheik who has studied the Bible and discussed the gospel at length and acknowledges the truth of the Bible. He isn’t ready to commit himself to walk with Jesus. Pray he would feel the weight of his sin and bow his knee to Jesus.

Continued unrest

by | Dec 29, 2016

Pray for mercy for the people of South Sudan. They continue to suffer as rival armies clash and political factions vie for power. Many are fleeing to refugee camps. Pray for trauma healing and provision for these poor suffering people.

A Successful Christmas Party

by | Dec 28, 2016

Christmas Day a S. Asian family came to eat dinner, hear the account from Matthew and Luke of Jesus’ birth, and learn to sing together “Joy to the World, the Lord is Come.” One teenage girl said rapturously, “This is my first time to be invited to a Christmas party. I hope I get invited again next year!” At the end of the Christmas story they tried to articulate our differences. “You say Jesus is the Son of God, but we say He’s a prophet. And we believe Mohammed came afterwards and was the next prophet. Each of us tries to follow the teachings of our prophet and teach others to do so, too.” How to respond? We said, “There is something unique about Jesus that this account of His birth tells us. He was to be called Jesus because He would save His people from their sins. He was the Saviour, Christ, the Lord. When Elizabeth heard Mary coming to her she asked how it could be that the mother of her Lord would come visit her?” They listened, pondered, did not argue. We heard from a friend that later, after the dishes were washed and the cookies distributed and goodbye kisses given, they sang Joy to the World as they drove home. Please keep praying for the salvation of the entire family. Although no men came to the party, the extended family have invited us to come to their home for a New Year’s Eve party. The men will definitely be there, and perhaps our men will be able to make friends with them.

Courge to believe

by | Dec 27, 2016

Pray for Somalis around the world who heard the Christmas story told to them by Christian friends. Ask the Lord to open their hearts to the truth and give them courage to believe.

Schooling needs in the midst of unrest

by | Dec 27, 2016

Pray for the 3 Toposa boys studying in Torit. They just finished their yearly exams. They are considering whether to continue studying in Torit, or whether they should find a school closer to home where its safer. Pray they would grow strong in the Lord wherever they are. Continue to pray for peace in South Sudan.

Calling the church to mission

by | Dec 26, 2016

As the team gets set up, pray the Lord would be stirring the local Zande church for mission. The team longs to partner with the church to reach the Mbororo. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out Zande laborers into the Mbororo harvest field.

Courage needed

by | Dec 26, 2016

Pray for believers to persevere despite opposition and persecution. They need courage and wisdom. Pray they would be filled with the Spirit and share with family and friends what great things the Lord has done.
Pray the Lord would rebuke the political and religious leaders who are opposing His work. May they repent and turn to Christ.

16 baptisms!!

by | Dec 24, 2016

Today 16 people were baptized!! Rejoice with us and pray for their walk with the Lord and their testimony to others. May the Lord bring many more!

Seekers

by | Dec 24, 2016

One young Arab simply came to ask if he could park his car within the church yard for a few days. He lives near the old church that is for foreigners only, but knows the guard. The other man wanted to ask a few questions, “Do you worship three gods?” “What do you think of Deedat?” We spoke of the mystery and wonder of the Trinity and of Deedat’s tendency to take bits of truth out of context and twist them and challenged him to read the Word for himself. We offered one in Arabic, but he refused. Pray for this young man and others like him who are uncertain enough in their religion to be searching for confirmation on the web. Pray that they will not accept false affirmation or hope but would continue to search until they are satisfied in Jesus.

Little Children Invited for Christmas

by | Dec 24, 2016

On Christmas Day the M believers will meet together for worship. In the afternoon, several have planned to share the gospel with Muslim neighbours who might come visit them. One young woman plans to show the Jesus DVD to the children who visit regularly. Please pray for much fruit from the initiatives of all the believers on Christmas Day.